Basic counting in tenor drumming

To read music and to learn a score you first must be taught to count. How to count this standard setting for a 4/4 March for instance.

Or this 3/4 March.

We start with counting the quarter notes in a 4/4 Time Signature:

one two three four one two three four one two three four one two three four

You count eighth notes as:

one and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and

one and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and

Sixteenth notes:

one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a

one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a

Alternatively you can count:

one two three four two two three four three two three four four two three four etcetera.

Counting eighth notes in a 3/4 Time Signature

one and two and three and one and two and three and

one and two and three and one and two and three and

Now back to the standard setting 3/4 March:

one a two and – and one two and three

For those who want to experiment some more we found a flash application on the internet that might be useful:  http://www.philtulga.com/counter.html